There are about 3,000 kilometers of navigable canals in the UK. Most were built to carry fragile freight cheaply during the Industrial Revolution, but there are still ones in use that were built by the Romans! Many of the canals are still important industrial transport systems.
These wonderful feats of engineering meander through quiet meadows, push through busy towns or clamber slowly over hills, as they criss-cross a huge area of England and Wales. As waterways they vary greatly; from the peaceful Llangollen Canal which follows the contours around the hills of North Wales to the busy Grand Union Canal which starts in the River Thames. Some only carry the occasional recreational craft but others are serious industrial thoroughfares with large commercial craft using them all the time.
Some canals have only a few locks; in fact the Lancaster Canal doesn't have one lock in its 73km length. Compare this to "heartbreak hill", where the Trent Mersey Canal climbs 26 locks in eleven kilometers or the "stairway to heaven", where there are 21 locks on the Grand Union Canal in less than 3 km!
On most canals you have to operate the manual locks yourself and sometimes this is quite a feat of strength, but on others, like the Thames and Severn canals, staff operate the locks for you.
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Our trip started at Sorley Marina where we received basic training in operating the locks and half an hour hands-on training before we were off on our own. The first three days were spent traveling upstream. We first crossed a wide section of the Trent River then back along the canal until we encountered our first lock. We were in luck. The last boat had been traveling downstream and the lock had been left with all the gates closed (as they should be left) and the water was at the level of the lower stretch of canal, where we were sailing.
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| Some of the locks were double, taking two boats at a time. This was also great for sharing the work load and the friendship. We met some very nice people this way and were given a lot of tips about the canal ahead. This was very useful. We'd selected a section of the canal system well away from any major towns and tourist attractions. We wanted this part of our holiday to be relaxing. So advanced warning of areas where there were no small villages was welcome. Also news of local markets was handy. |
| The reason for this was simple housekeeping. The vessel carried sufficient fuel for us to travel an average of seven hours a day for a week. There was enough water for two days for all our needs. We'd stocked up with food before we left but the fridge was, necessarily, half a normal household fridge size with a similarly compact freezer section. So we were pleased to find most villages well signposted with directions to shops and hotels. In this way we were able to enjoy fresh meat and vegetables all the time we were sailing. |
I didn't have any real trouble handling the boat. At places the canal was quite narrow and we even found boats moored two deep! Some bridges were very low, as well. Other places the trees overhanging the water, picturesque as they were, reduced the visibility and made passing other boats quite difficult. But nobody was in a hurry and we often joked with the other travelers about these minor problems.
We had the boat for a week and enjoyed every day of it, even when it rained, as it did the first three days. That was all part of the adventure, as was picking blackberries in the hedgerows. The canal winds through some beautiful countryside, and it was so peaceful tied up to the bank at night. Sometimes we spent hours traveling through unspoiled forest and often there was a popular pub to visit for lunch or dinner (ask me some time about "lumpy bumpy pudding"--in spite of its threatening name, it is to die for!).
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| So now we are saving up for our next trip to the UK and this time we want to spend three weeks afloat. You may wish to do the same. Bring it on! |
If you plan to try it, here are some useful hints:
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Jan and I hired a narrowboat through http://www.canaltime.com/narrowboats/nb_marinas.html - Sorley Marina boat hire.
Price for a seven-day hire of a four-berth boat is about £800 but there are variances with the time of year, size of boat and how far in advance you book. There are also many more hire companies. So start searching early for the best price.
A list of the canals can be found here: http://www.canaljunction.com/canal/maps.htm .
Click on the name of a canal and it will show in bold on the map then an article on that canal will be displayed.
Most canal boats have a full kitchen but don't take too many groceries. There are many pubs on the way which serve meals and lots of small villages with restaurants and markets where you can sample local wares.
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 Richard Blackburn was brought up on the site of an ancient English castle, mentioned in the Doomsday Book. At 20 he emigrated to the Northern Territory of Australia where he worked in Darwin and on a cattle station half the size of Wales. He then spent 12 years in Papua New Guinea as a Patrol Officer, living for long periods of time in the bush with the people. Returning to Australia, he gained his degree in IT and worked as a software developer. He has had a trilogy published in Australia in the genre YA Historical Fiction. The first of these books is now available in USA/Canada as "The Guardian of the Gate".
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PHOTO CREDITS: Richard Blackburn |
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